Comments on: Is Autism an “Epidemic” or Are We Just Noticing More People Who Have It?http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:32:00 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1By: SophieBluehttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5819
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 01:17:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5819I am convinced that my brother was “on the spectrum.” If we had had a diagnosis in the 1950s and 1960s, it would have made his life so much easier. As it was, he was excluded and ostracized as “weird.” He was teased and harassed. He drank heavily to self-medicate, but now he has AA and loves it. It provides the structure that he needs to function in society. But he could have been saved so many unhappy decades.
]]>By: nahhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5668
Fri, 27 Feb 2015 03:52:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5668man. that argument abt your friends being obsessed/preoccupied enough to reach the standards of an autism diagnosis…”to some degree or another” doesn’t cut it. in an autism diagnosis, it’s not just not making friends, its not just being “obsessed” with one thing or another (because i know you’re not using obsessed literally. you’re not. actual obsession is, i’m sure, different than your friends talking about how “obsessed” they are with a tv show or something.), and it is certainly not just “doesn’t like conversation” //to some degree//. it’s so acute that it has to have a its own diagnosis. don’t give me crap about how being antisocial is enough to get someone an autistic diagnosis. it isnt. with my ability i can’t fully explain to you the differences in severity, but seriously, i know you mean well but this isn’t good.
]]>By: Dr. MShttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5466
Sun, 22 Feb 2015 11:35:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5466This is not conclusive. I think young immature parents, drug addicted parents, teen parents, depressed parents, dysfunctional parents, parents with serious marital conflicts, unemployed uneducated young parents…are a far greater risk to children’s mental health than older parents.

And what do we mean by older? A woman birthing a healthy child at 45 in stead of at 25 or 35?

Women are stronger, healthier and more active today…and having children as older women, not old, is definitely possible, Nobody considers a woman in her 40s and 50 as old.

When I was in college people would look horrified at any woman who wanted to wait until she was 30 or 32 to have a baby. Today that is normal, common and healthy. Lets stop this sexism and ageism in our gynaecology.

Birthing around the world and as a public policy has also become political. Some religions are asking their women to have more children. Some are asking them to get married and be mothers early. Some do not want women to go to college or work because they say that is bad for the family and for male employment. All kinds of garbage is promoted in the name of increasing family size, their population, keeping women in old roles or in the name of family welfare…all political.

There is a lot of patriarchy in medicine and in psychiatry. And we need to confront that. Kindly do not fall for that.

]]>By: Melissa Thorntonhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5396
Sat, 21 Feb 2015 19:03:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5396I’m so sick of reading article after article arguing about whether autism exists or doesn’t, is an epidemic or not, caused by vaccines or not, etc. While people like my brother (diagnosed with Aspergers) just need help! If the time and money that goes to all this chatter were spent on helping and accepting these people, they’re wouldn’t be an issue!
]]>By: boo whttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5261
Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:09:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5261You agree with him more than you realize. Re-read your statement and Jak’s.
]]>By: boo whttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5260
Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:06:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5260Great comment, I agree.
]]>By: boo whttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5259
Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:04:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5259David’s response is to the first commenter (who is acting as an armchair psychologist), not the article itself. You are wrong.
]]>By: mplohttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5096
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 04:38:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5096Your points are interesting, and well-taken, Lauren. Autism, ADD/ADHD and even Dyslexia are neurologically-based, biological developmental disorders that, in reality, are continuums of the so-called “normal” patterns of behavior. The genes of an individual can and do work in funny or not-so-funny ways, and it’s often a matter of people sometimes getting excessive amounts of a certain gene or genes for whatever reason(s).
]]>By: mplohttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5095
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 04:32:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5095I disagree with you, Jak Knight, and I stand by everything that I’ve said.
]]>By: Jim Magdelaniahttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2012/07/11/is-autism-an-epidemic-or-are-we-just-noticing-more-people-who-have-it/#comment-5043
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 23:03:00 +0000http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/?p=1966#comment-5043don’t you love it when the first comment is some armchair scientist who just KNOWS way more than the real scientists?? It’s like they want to say, hey, i know this article is about my ignorance, so i’m not going to read it and comment and be THE GUY for whom the article is indicating my pure and absolute ignorance. because my opinion is far greater than that of any real scientists
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